Winder's Water Future: Inside the Mulberry River Project and What It Means for Barrow County Families

If you've lived in Winder or anywhere across Barrow County for a while, you've watched the place change. The fields you remember are now neighborhoods. The two-lane roads carry a lot more traffic. And the community that the 2020 census counted at 83,505 has climbed to an estimated 99,773 residents in 2025 — a roughly 20% jump in population from 2010 to 2020 alone (Georgia Demographics).

Growth is a sign of a healthy, desirable community. But every new home, school, and business asks the same quiet question: where does the water come from? For Winder, a big part of the answer is the Mulberry River — and the river is now at the center of one of the most important local projects in a generation.

At NuRich, water isn't just our business — it's our mission. We're proud to call this region home, and we're proud that Winder is participating in the work of protecting and securing the river that so many families depend on. Here's what's happening, why it matters, and how we're doing our part.

A Once-in-a-Generation Water Project

Winder currently draws its drinking water from the Mulberry River, and the city has partnered with neighboring Auburn on a major new water-supply project designed to serve the area for 50-plus years (Main Street News). The headline numbers are striking:

• The project will nearly double Winder's permitted drinking-water capacity, from 5.1 million gallons per day to 9.0 million (City of Winder).
• A 78.66-acre former quarry off Parks Mill Road will be lined and filled to create a reservoir large enough to supply both cities for a full year without rainfall.
• The build includes river intakes, a pump station, and more than 13 miles of pipeline connecting the reservoir to treatment facilities in both cities.
• Total project value at build-out is estimated at roughly $28.8 million.

In plain terms: this is drought insurance for our community. When the rain doesn't come, the reservoir holds a year's worth of supply in reserve. For families, that means the tap keeps running. For local employers, it means room to grow and to keep creating jobs right here in Barrow County.

Why River Health Is a Family-Health Issue

A reservoir secures the quantity of water. But the quality of the source matters just as much — and that's where the Mulberry River needs all of us paying attention.

The Mulberry is part of the Upper Oconee watershed, and it's one of 14 surface-water intakes that supply drinking water across the Oconee River basin (Georgia Rivers). Unfortunately, that basin faces real pressure: state assessments have identified roughly 786 miles of impaired waters in the Oconee basin, and research in the Upper Oconee has documented elevated nitrogen and phosphorus linked to land use upstream (Upper Oconee Watershed study).

Nutrient runoff and sediment are exactly the kind of pollution that river restoration and source-water protection are designed to fight. Healthier riverbanks, smarter land use, and consistent monitoring all translate into cleaner water flowing toward Winder's intakes — which translates into safer water at your kitchen sink. When we talk about "the River Project," this is the heart of it: protecting the source so the water that reaches your family starts out as clean as possible.

It matters for everyday health, too. The human body is about 60% water, and the National Academies recommend roughly 2.7 liters (91 oz) of fluid per day for women and 3.7 liters (125 oz) for men (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health). Yet research suggests up to 75% of Americans may not be drinking enough (hydration science review). Clean, great-tasting, easily accessible water isn't a luxury — it's one of the simplest, most powerful things a family can do for its health. Making that water easy to reach for is exactly why we make our insulated NuRich water bottles.

NuRich's Promise: A Fully Vertical Water Pipeline

Most water brands buy water somewhere and slap a label on it. We're building something different — a fully vertical water pipeline that we own and control from beginning to end, right here in our region:

1. Land. It starts with purchasing and protecting the land around the source, so we have a direct stake in the long-term health of the watershed.
2. Production. Our finished water is packaged in 12 oz aluminum cans through a process we run ourselves.
3. Delivery. And for homes and offices, we offer 3–5 gallon water delivery straight to your door.

Why does owning the whole chain matter to you? Because every handoff in a typical supply chain is a place where quality, transparency, and accountability can slip. When one company controls the land, the production, and the delivery, there's no finger-pointing — just one team responsible for what ends up in your glass. That's the trust differentiator behind everything we do.

Why We Chose Aluminum

Our decision to package in aluminum isn't just about looks — it's about leaving the river and the region better than we found it. Aluminum is the most sustainable mainstream beverage package on the market:

• Aluminum cans have a closed-loop circularity rate of 96.7%, compared with just 34% for PET plastic bottles — a can really does come back as a can, again and again (The Aluminum Association).
• Aluminum cans contain an average of 50% recycled content, versus roughly 3–10% for plastic.
• Aluminum is infinitely recyclable with no loss of quality, while plastic typically degrades into lower-value products.

For a community whose drinking water comes from a river, reducing plastic waste isn't abstract — it's local stewardship. Less plastic in circulation means less plastic that can end up in the Mulberry and the streams that feed it.

Local Pride, Local Jobs, Local Water

There's something fitting about a water company putting down roots in a place defined by its river. Barrow County families have built a community here with a median household income of about $77,477 and a median age of just 36.4 years — a young, growing, family-centered place (Data USA). It deserves a water future built to match.

That future is a shared project. The city and its partners are investing in the infrastructure. State and federal agencies monitor and protect the watershed. And local businesses like NuRich are committing to do our part — protecting the source, choosing sustainable packaging, and keeping good jobs in the region. When you choose NuRich, you're backing a vision of Winder where the river stays healthy, the tap stays reliable, and the next generation inherits something worth being proud of.

Be Part of Winder's Water Story

The Mulberry River has given this community a lot. The River Project — and our mission at NuRich — is about giving back. Here's how you can take part today:

• Hydrate better, waste less. Pick up a reusable 18 oz or 32 oz insulated NuRich bottle and cut down on single-use plastic.
• Bring clean water home. Ask about NuRich 3–5 gallon water delivery for your home or office.
• Learn the mission. Discover how our fully vertical pipeline — land to can to your door — is built around protecting the water this community relies on at livenurich.com.

The river runs through all of us. Let's keep it flowing — clean, secure, and proudly local — for the next 50 years and beyond.